It’s that magical time of year again… General Conference time! (Forgotten what this means? Read this post for a refresher.) If you’ve ever been curious what the LDS Church teaches (and how it’s done, as I think our leaders have a pretty unique style compared to other religious denominations I”ve seen), it’s broadcast on tv, radio, and the internet and I’d love for you to take a moment to listen in. Clicking here will take you to the audio and video streams online.
I got a late start to this session because I was taking cupcakes over to a friend. A good reason, right? 
Elder Holland’s powerful testimony has left me feeling awed. I know that the Book of Mormon and the Church which espouses it are true. He’s right, why would so many men, Joseph and Hyrum in particular, sacrificed everything, even their lives, for the Book of Mormon if they made it all up? Elder Ballard’s testimony of the Book of Mormon is one of the most powerful I have ever heard. I want to sit down with every skeptic I know and have them listen to these words. Such power and surety cannot be denied!
Elder Nielson’s talk about the spreading of missionary work has me thinking about Poland. I hope we fill our home with boys so they can return to their father’s homeland and teach the message that so thoroughly changed his life for the better. Stories like his remind me that the work IS progressing at a wonderful rate!
Elder Christofferson: “Our increased reliance on laws to regulate behavior is a measure of how uncivilized we’ve become.” We used to rely on civility by gentlemen to prevent sexual harassment. Now we rely on the laws.
I ended up listening to President Monson and then taking a nap shortly after so I didn’t finish this post the way I had hoped. I loved conference, as always, and I’m a bit sad to think we have to wait 6 more months to do it all over again (and that I could possibly have a baby in my arms by that time!) The best change I can make in my life is to start reading the conference edition of the Ensign on a more regular basis. The messages we hear each April/October are so inspiring, but I don’t have to limit myself to hearing the words of the Apostles and Prophets at only those times.
October 4th, 2009 on 7:18 pm
I too just love conference and this session was just like all the others–so enriching!
What a wonderful way to continue the introduction and invitation to hear more about what we believe. I think many of us enjoy the discussions on doctrine, but seriously, Saturdays and Sundays like these are where all the questions are answered. I’m glad you are providing a resource for those who honestly want to know more! =)
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October 4th, 2009 on 8:06 pm
Wasn’t it Elder Holland that gave that great Book of Mormon talk? I also loved President Monson’s talk about service in the morning – I’ve been meaning to take cookies to our new neighbors (two of them!) and his great talk on service got me to finally whip up some in between sessions so I could go over and introduce myself today. So many of the world’s problems would evaporate if every family taught and practiced a service-oriented attitude and thought of ways to ease the burdens of those around them.
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October 4th, 2009 on 8:55 pm
i just have to respectfully dissent on that sexual harassment quote– we used to rely on a “boys will be boys” mentality that was (and in some places still is) complicit in creating workplaces which were inhospitable, and occasionally dangerous to women. Sexual harassment is not a new problem–and legal protections against it have been instrumental in readjusting the cultural mores and expectations that have for so long kept women (and others who may be discriminated against for sexual preference etc) in marginalized positions.
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Hannah Reply:
October 5th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Thank you, I was just going to leave this comment. “Gentlemens’ civility” was apparently never very reliable if you look at how life generally was for women (in Western civilization and around the world) 500, 100 or 50 years ago.
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October 5th, 2009 on 2:38 am
Your posts about the General Conference sessions were so wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing your insights with us. There was a spot in this post where you mentioned Elder Ballard’s name and I’m sure you meant to say Elder Holland. Just wanted to make sure you knew.
Love you dear!
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October 5th, 2009 on 12:07 pm
I love modern technology that allows us to rewatch conference on the internet – or using DVR like I did. I can rewatch and see things I might have missed. Every year I grow to love those apostles even more and get excited to hear their words.
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October 10th, 2009 on 1:42 am
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